Businessman Ned Lamont, the founder of Campus Televideo, a company that provides video and data services to colleges and universities, easily won the official Democratic primary endorsement at the state party convention this weekend. Mr. Lamont’s victory was so complete that his top challenger, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim did not even secure enough support to qualify for the primary ballot. He pledges to force an August 14th primary through petition, however. Mr. Ganim was originally elected Mayor in 1991 and served until 2003 when he resigned after being convicted of 16 federal crimes including bribery and extortion. He would serve seven years in federal prison, but returned to Bridgeport only to be re-elected Mayor in 2015. It appears that Mr. Ganim will stand little chance against Mr. Lamont in a Democratic primary, if the race gets that far.

This is Mr. Lamont’s second run for Governor. He lost the Democratic nomination to current Gov. Dan Malloy in 2010. Four years earlier, he denied re-nomination to Sen. Joe Lieberman, but lost the general election when the Senator obtained a ballot position as an Independent. The 2018 Connecticut gubernatorial general election looks to be competitive.

Earlier in the week it was reported that former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz had dropped out of the race and formed a ticket with gubernatorial candidate and former US Senate nominee Ned Lamont. Now, ex-Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean Connelly has also dropped out of the race and endorsed the Lamont-Bysiewicz ticket. The remaining strong gubernatorial candidates are Lamont, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, and businessman Guy Smith. Claiming this weekend’s Democratic Party endorsing convention is already “rigged”, Mr. Smith is qualifying for the ballot through petition signatures.

In 2006, Mr. Lamont defeated then-Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary. But, Mr. Lieberman still entered the general election after the primary loss as an Independent, permissible under Connecticut election law, and won re-election. In 2010, Mr. Lamont ran for Governor but lost the Democratic primary to current incumbent Dan Malloy.

After the district Republican endorsing convention where delegates officially endorsed Meriden Mayor Manny Santos for the official party nomination, retired psychology professor Ruby O’Neill immediately said she would force an August 14th primary election. Now, businessman Rich DuPont, who also secured enough convention delegate votes to advance to the primary ballot announced yesterday that he, too, will compete in the August election. Democrats also look to have a contested primary. The seat is open because Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire) is retiring.

This weekend, the Connecticut Democrats will meet in convention to officially endorse party candidates. In response to developments earlier in the week, the delegates will have more to consider. Former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz announced that she was dropping out of the Governor’s race and will instead form a ticket with fellow candidate Ned Lamont who, in 2006, denied Sen. Joe Lieberman re-nomination in the Connecticut Democratic primary. Under the state’s election law, Mr. Lieberman was still able to qualify as an Independent candidate despite losing in a partisan primary election. Sen. Lieberman went on to win the general election in that year despite not being a major party nominee.

Ms. Bysiewicz will now run for Lt. Governor, but act as part of a ticket with Mr. Lamont who remains in the Governor’s contest. In addition to Mr. Lamont, six other Democrats are competing for the party nomination. The seat is open because Gov. Dan Malloy (D) is not seeking re-election.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who recovered from benign brain tumor surgery but then collapsed at a candidate’s forum earlier in the year, captured the Republican Party official endorsement at the Connecticut GOP’s state convention over the weekend. After multiple rounds of voting, Mr. Boughton exceeded the minimum majority requirement to become the party’s officially endorsed candidate.

The result does not clinch him the party nomination, however. Two GOP contenders, Trumbull Selectman Tim Herbst, and businessman and Navy veteran Steve Obsitnik, secured enough convention delegate support to qualify for the primary ballot and both say they will force an August 14th primary. Two more, hedge fund founder David Stemerman, and retired financier Bob Stefanowski are gathering petition signatures for ballot placement. Democrats will meet this coming weekend to endorse their statewide slate. They, too, will likely move to a contested primary. The Connecticut Governorship is open this year. Two-term Gov. Dan Malloy (D) is retiring.

Both parties were attempting to recruit high profile crime victims to run for the competitive western Connecticut congressional seat, but to no avail. Republicans attempted to convince state Rep. William Petit (R-Cheshire), the victim of a highly publicized and horrific home invasion crime that resulted in his wife and other family members perishing, said he will not run for Congress. Likewise for Sandy Hook Promise founders Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley, two potential Democratic candidates who lost sons in the 2012 school shooting that rocked the nation. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire) is not seeking re-election due to a sexual harassment situation involving her former chief of staff.

Just two days after Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire) announced that she won’t seek re-election, potential congressional aspirants are beginning to position themselves. For the Democrats, former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman, a twice-defeated candidate for Lt. Governor, announced that she will enter the open seat congressional race. Other prominent local Democrats are said to be considering their political options.

Turning to the GOP, state Rep. William Petit (R-Cheshire) confirms that he is contemplating entering the race. Two Republicans who won’t be running for Congress are Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart. Both confirmed yesterday that they will remain in the Governor’s race.

Late yesterday afternoon, Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire/Waterbury) announced that she will end her quest for a fourth term, succumbing to calls for her to resign. While her announcement only indicated that she won’t run in November, the calls from the media and even a series of Democratic state legislators for her to step aside because she did not immediately take action against her chief of staff who was accused of sexual and physical abuse of a staff member, to the point of a restraining order being issued, became enough to convince her to end her congressional career.

Liberal activist Ned Lamont, who upset Sen. Joe Lieberman (D) in the 2006 Democratic primary but fell to him in the general when the Senator attained ballot access as an Independent, announced that he will become the eighth Democrat to compete in this year’s open Governor’s race.

Mr. Lamont lost the 2010 gubernatorial primary to Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, the man who would go onto win the general election, garnering only 42% of the vote. The perennial candidate, a former Greenwich Selectman, is from the Sanders-Warren wing of the Democratic Party, and actually stands a good chance of topping a crowded primary field where no other candidate has significant statewide name identification.

Before the August 14th primary is held, Democrats will have a major party convention that will officially endorse a candidate, which usually goes a long way toward influencing the final primary vote.

While the open Connecticut Governor’s race has exploded with seven Democratic and 11 Republican candidates, one major political figure that had been looming large on the horizon will not enter the race. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman (D) announced yesterday that she won’t enter next year’s gubernatorial campaign thus making the campaign to succeed outgoing Gov. Dan Malloy (D) even more unpredictable.